Hanger for car-door rails.



2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED MAY 26, 1908.'.

J. M. HOPKINS. HANGER PoR GAR DOOR RAILS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.14, 1907.

F PATENTED MAY 26. 1908. J. M. HOPKINS. Y HANGER FOR OAR DOOR RAILS.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.14, 1907. l

2 SHEETS-SHEET 24 entren salaires narnnfr Omron.

JAMES M. HOPKINS, on eHIoAeo, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR Too. a n. Coun-iur, or eIIICAGo,

ILLINOIS, A reRPORATIoN HANG-ER FOR CAR-DOOR RAILS,

on which the car-door slides Or with which f the hangers of the door engage. In )resent constructions, these rails Vare usually held if, in place by bolts, or by bolts having offsetj ting sleeves thereon to hold the rails in f proper position. Such supporting bolts often work loose in the parts through which they extend, so that. lthe rail which supports 4 2o the door, sags or gets out of true position and the door binds and cannot be readily shifted back and forth.

The resent invention seeks to rovide means illir rigidly su porting the rai which carries the weight o the ear-door in such a manner that it cannot readily work loose or get out of its true, horizontal position.

The invention consists in the features of construction, combinations and arrangement of' parts hereinafter set forth, illustrated inthe accompanying drawings and more artieularly pointed out in the appendetlclailns.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of parts of the car doei* and car traine adjacent the upper edge ot the door to which the present improvement is ap# plied. Fig. 2 1s a View in section of parts 'shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view in section illustrating a slightly modified form of the supporting bracket for the door-rails.

application of the invention to a different form yof car door hanger and rail. Fig. 5

is a vertical section at one sident the hanger of Fig. 4. i

T he parts ot the car door and trame illustrated are of usual construction. The car door hanger 1 is 'secured tothe upper edge of the door 2 by bolts 3.A The upper portion of the hanger projects above the upper edge ot the door and, 1n the form show-n in Figs,

1 and 2, is shaped to form a hood or easing 4 Within which is journaled a roller ii.

'Fia I l e l h. I is a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating the l This roller runs upon .the central horizontal web l' preferably abuts snugly against-the outer y,11G

Patented Mt-tg. 1998.

lof a Z-shaped rail 6. The door isheld against lateral displacement by an. L-shapedz' l projection or finger 7 which en ages` the` `depending flange S at the outere ge of the'` rail 6.

g The upwardly projecting Ilange 9 at the inner edge of the. rail abuts against the siding 10 below the facia 11. In prior constructions the rail has been secured in place solely i by a series of bolts 13 extending through the ltlange t), siding 10, and the ear-plate or root beam 12. As stated, these bolts tend to work loose so that the rail which sustains the entire weight of the door` sagsand the door itself binds or can be shifted only with ditlicultv. This loosening ofthe bolts is brought about. by the -transverse strain thereon due to the weight of the ear-door upon the rail. In accordance with the i present invention, supporting brackets or angers are provided for the door-rail and these brackets are hung or suspended from,

the.I plate 12 orotherportion of the ear frame, so that the fastener bolts 13 are relieved of the transverse strain due to the f pressure ot' the door-hangers upon the rail.

In the form shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the supporting bracket. or hanger 14 is provided at its lower end with a suitable seat for receiving or engaging the Z-shaped rail. This is preferably formed by an outwardly projecting linger 15 that extends below the horizontal web portion of the rail and a depending finger 16 then engages the upstanding ilange 9 at the inner edge et the rail. In 'other words, the bracket is provided at its lower end with a slot for receiving the flange t). At its upper end the bracket is provided with an inwardly-projecting portion which rests upon the upper edge of the car plate 12, and whieh'is preferably, as shown, recessed into the upper tace of the plate. This projec tion is preferably hook-shaped or provided'at its inner end wit h a depending lug 18 which engages the inner fat-e ofthe plate 12, as shown in Fig. 2, or which may besharpened, as

face ofthe car-plate 12 and to permit this arrangement, the siding 10 is cut away atV points where the brackets are located. The siding7 however, snugly abuts against the sides ofthe brackets 14 so that they are securely held against displacement in lateral j direction.

vthe rail in proper position and which cannot become loosened by the rough usage to' which car-doors are usually' subjected. T he facia strip 11 extends over the brackets 14 as indicated at lFigs. 2 and 3 and aids in holding them in place. l

In Figs. -l and 5 the application of the invention to a ditlerent form of door hanger and rail is illustrated. door hanger 1 carries, at its upper hooked end 4 the grooved roller 5 which runs upon the upper edge of a 'liat rail 6. The construction of the supporting bracket 1,4 is similar to that shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, eX- cept that it is provided at its lower end with a forwardly projecting part 20 having a depending lug 21 and which lug is provided with a vertical slot or seat for the rail 6. In this form the vertical portion of the .bracket abuts against the face of the siding 1() and is recessed in the facia strip 11, so thatthe latter is securely held against lateral displacement. The bracket, as shown, is preferably provided with a triangular strengthening lange 22 between its vertical portion and the projection 20. The fastener bolts 13 extend. through the rail 6, tacia 11, siding 10 and tli'e plate 12. As in the other form described the vertical strain upon the -rail is carried by theIl supporting brackets or hangers which are securely suspended from In this form the` the plate 12 or other portion of the car frame. 7

The invention thus 1novides efficient and durable means for ho ding the door rail 1n true posltion so that' the car doors may be shifted easily.

lt. is obvious that numerous changes may "be made in the `details set forth and that the improvement may be adapted to different types of cars and car doors without departure from the essentials of the invention as deiined in the claims.

Having described my invention, what l claim as new7 and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A supporting bracket for cardoor rails having a hook-shaped portion at the upper end, whereby the bracket can be suspended from a portion of the ear-frame, substantially as described.

2. 'A supporting bracket or hanger for car doorrailshaving atits upper end an angularly turned portion adapted to overlap and interlock with a portion of the car frame and having a seat for the rail.

3. A supporting bracket for car-door rails having a hook-portion at its upper end and a forwardly projecting part at its lowerend provided with a rail seat, substantially as described.

4. rlhe combination with the car-plate and the door-rail, of a supporting bracket having an inwardly projecting hook-portion at the upper end for engaging the car-plate to suspend the bracket therefrom, and having a seat for receiving the rail at the lower end,

substantially as described.

5. Thev combination with the car-plate and the Z-shaped door rail, of a supporting bracket having a hook-portion at the upper end for engagingthe car-plate and provided at its lower end .with a projection extending outwardly beneath the rail and with a slot engaging the inner edge ange thereof, and.

bolts extending through the rail and plate, substantially as described.

JAMES M. HOPKINS. lNit-nesses t WiLLIAM W. DARROW, ELIZABETH BATHGATE. 

